Page 51 of A Package Deal

Anton blinked. “Is Hank a bald man with a chest built for bench-pressing competitions?”

I grinned. “Yep, that’s him. How’s he doing?”

Anton slapped me on the back. “He’s doing great. Had a live band the night we ate there and it was packed. Talked about the previous owner like he was some kind of saint among men.”

I waved away the compliment and gestured toward the house. “How about I show you the upgrades your sister expertly managed the last three weeks?”

We headed inside and I showed him the kitchen, both bathrooms, the flooring, the screened-in porch, and ended in the hallway to the additional bedroom where the ladies were still working. The place looked amazing and Anton knew it. He beamed with pride as he darted around the vinyl plank flooring being installed by Savannah and wrapped his arm around his sister’s neck. He gave her a messy kiss on the cheek and she fought to push him off, both of them dissolving into laughter. I leaned against the doorway and soaked in the sight of Em being lighthearted. If Anton could get her to laugh like that, he was alright in my book. Now to convince him I was alright too.

“Get lost, you creep. We have serious work to do here!”

Anton messed up Em’s hair before letting her go and darting away before the fist she swung at him connected. Pip sidled up next to me, shoving her elbow in my ribs.

“I have the beer in the cooler. You are welcome to it. No one can be disappeared over a beer. It is unnatural.”

“Thanks, Pip.” I patted her beefy arm in thanks and led Anton to the screened-in porch where we sat in the Adirondack chairs. It wasn’t hot out yet and far too early to crack open a beer, but I appreciated Pip trying to pave the way with Em’s brother.

He sat back and studied me. I let him look his fill. I had nothing to hide. Well, only my inability to milk a mild-mannered heifer. He crossed his ankle over his knee. “Explain how the marriage thing happened. After her ex, that’s the last thing I expected Emmy to do.”

I nodded. “Yeah, she’s told me about what happened with Cayden when she got pregnant with Georgia. Total dickweed.” Anton looked like he might use those bright blue eyes to incinerate someone. Hopefully not me. “I had already hired Em when her landlord gave her notice and was there when Cayden had her served. The only natural thing to do was to help her out. I have this house and plenty of money. Why not help out a struggling single mom?” I huffed a laugh. “And have you met Georgia? That kid is something else. I couldn’t stand by and watch some asshole try to disrupt her life just because she suddenly sounded like a good accessory to his current lifestyle.”

Anton ran a hand over his two-day-old beard. “Seems like marriage might be slightly overkill though, don’t you think?”

I shook my head. “Not when Em needs to appear both financially and emotionally stable. What’s more stable than a steady job, a place to live, and a husband with a squeaky-clean background?”

“So, it’s all for show. Temporary.”

I leaned forward and put my elbows on my knees. “Started that way, yeah.”

“And now?”

I laced my fingers together, looking him in the eye and accepting whatever reaction I deserved. “Well, now I’m in love with your sister.”

The guy smirked like that wasn’t a monumental confession. “Figured as much. Her gaze kept darting to you, as if she had to know where you were at all times. Judge your reactions, that kind of thing. So you’re either abusing her or she’s fallen in love with you too.”

I frowned, but Anton waved me off. “And knowing my sister’s temperament, she’d never stand for a man abusing her again. I’d bet money on the latter.” He sat forward too, mirroring my stance. “She used to laugh a lot more. She was the coolest sister, just one of the guys but also had a gaggle of girlfriends. Cayden swooped in and changed her. We could all see it, but she’s also stubborn as hell. Wouldn’t listen when we tried to warn her about his bullshit. He used her constantly. She worked harder than him for the business and yet the whole thing was in his name, legally. I couldn’t confirm it, but I have my suspicions he was cheating on her the whole time too.”

I couldn’t help the growl that came from my chest as I flopped back in the chair. “I want to fucking kill him.”

Anton huffed. “Trust me, I get it. Getting pregnant was the straw that broke the camel’s back. He showed his true colors finally and my brothers and I were there to pick up the pieces. He screwed her over in every way a man can harm a woman. It did a number on her. She’s fiercely independent now, to a fault.”

“I’ve noticed,” I drawled.

“But she’s still loyal when it’s deserved. And she has her priorities straight. A man won’t pull one over on her ever again.” Anton lifted his chin, glaring at me. “Even so, if you harm one hair on her head, cause her to shed one tear, I swear to God, me and my brothers will shove that snakeskin boot so far up your ass you’ll have a split tongue. You’ll be in worse shape than Cayden when we got our hands on him.”

I held my hands up. “Understood. I have all good intentions when it comes to your sister and niece. If anything, it’s Em who won’t let me do more to help them. If I had my way, I’d swoop them up and shower them with money and never let Em lift a finger again. But I know she doesn’t want that.”

Anton shook his head. “She built her first birdhouse with Dad when she was six. She didn’t get much time with him before he died, but he gave her his love of building. She’ll never stop working. Probably die at ninety-five with a fuckin’ hammer in her hands.”

I grinned at the mental image. Probably wasn’t wrong. “What did y’all do to Cayden?”

Anton smiled and I saw so much of Em in his evil grin. “We may have toyed with him a bit. His jobsites kept getting flooded. Tools went missing. Permits came back unapproved due to electrical issues he swore weren’t there the day before. We would have kept it going until he moved his shit company out of town for good, but the fucker had to walk into the same bar he knew my brothers and I went to every Friday night. Started talking shit about Emmy and we’d had enough. Carter’s the biggest of us. We waited until Cayden swung first and then Carter unleashed while I held Cayden’s arms. The cops had to pull us off him. Cayden went to the hospital and we spent the night in jail.”

“Shit,” I muttered. “Em must have been pissed.”

“Oh, she was.” Anton laughed, looking quite pleased with himself. “But most everyone in town already hated Cayden and everyone in the bar saw him swing first. The chief let us out the next day, dropped the charges, and Cayden got the message loud and clear. He steered clear of us from then on out, which makes me very curious why he’s popping his head up now.”

I put my hands behind my head and looked up at the brightly painted plank ceiling Em and her crew had just built. I liked this guy. Could see myself hanging out with him and shooting the shit. Anton would fit right in with my brothers too.

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